<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The best of friends by DayDreamCarnival</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167942">The best of friends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayDreamCarnival/pseuds/DayDreamCarnival'>DayDreamCarnival</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Clubbing, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Stargazing, no angst dw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:13:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,133</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167942</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayDreamCarnival/pseuds/DayDreamCarnival</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Confessing is fairly easy especially when you're 99,9% sure that feelings are mutual - or so Ritsu thought.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Isara Mao/Sakuma Ritsu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The best of friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Stargazing with the one you treasure the most on a cold night, snuggled up together underneath a blanket, where you will finally take all of your courage and confess to your crush after that party where both of you drank a little too much, got a bit tipsy, laughing about everything and anything. You would look each other deep in the eyes, agree to be boyfriends-</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sounds like a safe plan, right?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ritsu was preeetty sure it would work out somehow. He has known him for an eternity now and he's pretty confident to say that the feelings that started to develop recently are pretty much mutual, that even if Mao might not admit to them he would at least accept his confession. Or at least that's what he hoped would happen.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">... ah, geez, thinking about it, it all sounds pretty damn cheesy and kind of straight up out of some teen romance movie.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He blames Arashi, honestly, they've been on a marathon on watching those kind of things lately when hanging out together with Mika. Now he's forever haunted by such cringy thoughts. Who are still kinda nice. He really is in love, huh?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Still, right now he was pressed against Mao, pinkys interlinked as they gaze up into the star-filled sky, wrapped in a thick blanket. His childhood friend hums how he's feeling tingly, chuckling and leaning his head on Ritsus shoulder, who in turn fears he might pass out any minute from how fast his heart started beating. Maybe it's the alcohol in his system but did Mao always smell that good? A creepy way to think - he mentally scolds himself - but at the same time he can't help but snuggle closer. He as well feels tingly, he replies before they both chuckle again, seemingly unable to keep themselves in check, giggling and basically having one laughing fit after the other. It isn't even that funny but... yeah, they're drunk, that's the excuse. Ritsu doesn't like getting drunk normally, the morning after is always a pain in the ass and being awake during the day makes it even harder but since he's with Mao it's alright. Not that he and him would get drunk on a regular basis. But with Mao it's nice to go out clubbing so of course he agreed to come along when asked to go to some random guys party. Mao apparently knows him through a friends friend that- </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To be honest Ritsu doesn't want to recall that conversation again, he only listened a few seconds and then his brain simply shut down trying to follow along. Mao knows that dude through connections, alright, okay.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He got to be with him all evening, always dragged him along and never leaving him behind though never forcing him into conversation. He guesses that's a habit Mao still didn't get rid off. When they were younger he was pretty bad with people, even worse when he didn't know them before - thankfully he kind of is okay with it now. Saying he was completely cured of it would be a lie but at least he didn't internally panic and just glared at them as a defense mechanism anymore. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But no, Mao never left him alone, dragged him along and after they had enough drinks even danced with him though now thinking about it... Ritsu isn't sure if you could consider THAT dancing but it was fun nonetheless.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Everything with Maa-kun is...</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gazing at his childhoodfriend Ritsu can't help but eventually drop his head on his shoulder, sighing softly. His head really is spinning, the earth is moving too fast... Maa-kun do something~</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Far in the distance you can see some houses still being lit up but other than that it was really dark tonight. And cold, Ritsu notes, if it weren't for the thick blanket it wouldn't be endurable, breathe fogging up a little. But Mao was warm, so he was warm and the blanket helped keeping the temperature close. Ritsu still snuggles closer to the redhead, arms looping around his waist, keeping him in place. He shivers from it but presses back against nonetheless, making Ritsu smile a little. Even though he was rather quiet and Mao all self confident in public, their personalities almost switch once they're alone. Ritsu never really lacked self confidence while Mao... he had his moments. He can fake it well, he always could but Ritsu can look right through it. Back in school he saw it more often but even know he can tell when Mao starts spacing out a lot that something must have happened. Mindlessly the nocturnal man started stroking his childhood friends sides, nuzzling his neck with a hum, whispering that he smells like home. You want to go home, Ritsu? No, he doesn't.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He says he has something he wants to tell Maa-kun, eyes closed as he snuggles on him. It's hard to confess your feelings to someone but even harder when it could destroy a friendship even if he's 99,9% that Mao is just waiting for him to make a move. His heart started beating faster, he noticed that, how cute... Was Maa-kun really waiting for it?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Another couple of minutes pass, both gazing up in the sky, watching more and more stars appear, every now and then airplanes passing. Words are failing him right now and yet Mao turns around in his hold, Ritsu quietly helping him into his lap causing the blanket to slide a little lower. He doesn't want to keep Mao in the cold for too long so... »Ritchan, I like you«</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">eh?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ritsu finds himself dumbfounded, staring up at him with big eyes. Wasn't... wasn't he going to confess right now? ... did he take too long? You did, Ritchan. Ritsu didn't even notice he voiced those thoughts out loud.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He still starts to grin brightly, arms holding the redhead tightly who smiles equally happy down at him. Mumbling that he kept him waiting for so longer Mao fakes a pout that has Ritsu laughing softly. Reaching up he carefully cups his cheek, apologizing softly as he leans up, both meeting in soft kiss.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Their kiss faintly tastes a bit like the alcohol they drank and a bit of the chapstick Mao uses but Ritsu can't help loving it. They part still smiling, Mao drawing circles into his shoulder, seemingly waiting for something but too shy to voice it out, Ritsu can tell. So pulling him closer he smiles at him, asking him if Maa-kun would go out with him then. Of course he does, smiling to himself before he buries his burning cheeks in Ritsus shoulder, chuckling softly. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In the end it was different than how Ritsu imagined it but... this was better. Way better. Not like a movie. More like them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hiya, thank you for reading. It took me a long time to finish this actually. In the end it used it to distract myself from a family members passing.<br/>I planned to upload more this year but it's been rough. I hope you all are doing well ♡</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>